How to Increase Add-to-Cart Conversion Rate: 22 Brilliant Ideas

As a metric, add-to-cart Conversion rate is often overlooked.

However, most eCommerce stores face a low add-to-cart rate. 

Here’s a complete guide on how to increase the add-to-cart conversion rate and eventually improve sales. 

Jump to:

What is a good add-to-cart rate?  

Why is add-to-cart rate important?

Why is your add-to-cart rate so low?

How to calculate add-to-cart rate?

22 ways to improve add-to-cart rate

What is a good add-to-cart rate?

A recent report shows that the average global add-to-cart rate in 2023 is around 7.83%

In terms of add-to-cart rates according to device type:

• desktop has seen 8.45%, 
• tablet follows up with 8.23%, and 
• mobile is the lowest at 7.45%. 

Why is add-to-cart conversion rate important?

The add-to-cart conversion rate is the key indicator of how well your website is converting visitors into customers. 

A high add-to-cart conversion rate means that your website is doing a good job of convincing visitors to add items to their carts, which is a necessary step before they can make a purchase. 

A low add-to-cart conversion rate, on the other hand, means that some issues with your website are preventing visitors from adding items to their carts. 

These issues could be related to the product pages, the checkout process, or something else. 

Why is your add-to-cart rate so low?

There are several reasons why you’re seeing low add-to-cart rates

Here are some common reasons why your add-to-cart conversion rate is low:

• The product is not relevant to the customer's needs.
• The product is too expensive.
• The customer has concerns about the quality of the product.
• The customer has concerns about the shipping and return policy.
• The customer has concerns about the security of the website.
• The customer has had a bad experience with the company in the past.

If you are seeing a low add-to-cart conversion rate, it is important to identify the specific reasons why and take steps to address them. 

How to calculate add-to-cart rate?

Before calculating the add-to-cart conversion rate, first select the time period. 

Add-to-cart rate is the ratio of shoppers who selected a product and added it to their shopping cart while browsing a website compared to the total number of website visitors. 

The add-to-cart conversion rate is calculated by the following formula:

(Sessions with cart item viewed) / (total sessions) 

22 Ways to Improve Add-to-Cart Rate on your Product Pages 

If your add to cart conversion rate is low, then here are 22 ideas on how to increase add-to-cart rate.

1. Make the customer the protagonist 

Write product descriptions that feature customers as protagonists. 

This way, they can better relate to the product. 

This spikes interest in the product because of the Barnum Effect—the tendency to believe general information meant for the general public is meant for particular individuals. 

This helps customers make decisions while ignoring rational reasoning. 

Here's an example of Brooks Running applying it in practice.  

Pro Tip: Use Before-After-Bridge  

The Before-After-Bridge is a copywriting technique that explains 

• the current problem (Before), 
• the situation when the problem is solved (After), and 
• how the product can make this possible (Bridge). 

2. Summarize your USPs

Your value proposition tells your brand story. 

It reinforces a customer's confidence by detailing why they should buy from you, invariably differentiating you from the competition. 

See how Tala visually outlines its USPs (made with organic cotton, made with recycled fibers, super soft) on the product page right above the add-to-cart to assure shoppers of their purchase: 

3. Use a white background to contrast

75% of customers make a purchase based on product images. 

Product images with white backgrounds increase the visual appeal of the product while removing unnecessary distractions. 

White background looks good on any website and brings consistency to your product catalog. 22% of eCommerce returns happen because products delivered look different than what was shown. 

Pro Tip: Add natural shadows 

Adding natural shadows to your product images gives them a realistic look and doesn’t come across as artificial. 

It keeps the product from floating and doesn’t make it look weird.

4. Use *rich* images 

While Shutterstock and Unsplash are great tools to source images, it’s important to have professional images of your product. 

You can also show how the product is used through a series of images.   

Also, using before and after images on your product pages gives customers a reference point to evaluate. 

This is effective because of the underlying principle of Attentional Bias—the inclination to focus on a single piece of information to make decisions while ignoring others. 

Pro Tip: Hover to zoom 

Enabling hover to zoom on images can add just that extra bit of ‘interactive’ to product pages. It also allows shoppers to see the product images in detail.   

5. Utilize psychological pricing strategies 

90% of customers actively search the internet for best price deals. Start using:

Price anchoring refers to the practice of displaying a lower option next to a higher-priced option. Commonly, the higher price is represented with a strikethrough. 

This works due to Anchoring Bias—the tendency to base our decisions on the first piece of information presented to us. 

Buy-Now-Pay-Later options split the financial burden into interest-free payments. eCommerce sites offering these solutions experienced a 2.1% increase in conversion rate.

6. Upsell smartly - without annoying shoppers 

Upselling can not only increase the revenue from your business by 10-30 percent but it is more affordable than getting a new customer to your website. 

But many eCommerce websites push it in a shopper’s face. 

See how Recess upsells its subscription model and lets shoppers select according to their preferences:

7. Display limited-time offers 

Limited-time offers invoke a sense of urgency plus scarcity. 

This is because time-boxed events attract value-conscious customers because of price reductions, bundle offers, flash sales, etc. 

It attracts discount-only shoppers and new customers to try new products and add-to-cart faster. 

8. Apply exit-intent pop-ups

Exit intent pop-ups appear when customers are closing the browser without adding a product to the cart.

While discounts are the way to attract customers, you can pitch free gifts or samples on purchase. 

Recognize new customers and offer them discounts on their first purchase. 

Here’s how Monica+Andy adds a twist to their exit-intent pop-up with a small survey. This way, the brand gathers customer data to offer a future personalized experience. 

9. Show reviews that can be *filtered*  

The average customer reads 10 online reviews before making a purchase. 

Most eCommerce stores do add star ratings near the product description to assure shoppers. 

However, the reviews section is often not shopper-friendly.

See how Bite enabled different filters so shoppers can select and see exactly what they want to: 

10. Use the single-price product bundling strategy

One way to compel shoppers to add-to-cart is by selling an entire bundle with an all-inclusive price reward.

There are 3 ways you can use bundling effectively:

Offer 2 or more products at a single price. In this joint bundling tactic, the customer won’t be able to buy the products individually but will get both products at a single price when bought in a bundle. 

Offer a set of high-priced and low-priced products together at a single price. This sort of leader bundling tactic attracts the customer with a leader product and also lands a sale for a low-priced product.

Offer multiple varieties of products together at a single price. While customers can buy some of the items separately, however, they’ll miss out on the bundled deal. 

See how GetFPV does it:

11. Highlight your shopping policies 

90% of customers opine free shipping is the number one incentive to shop online. 

It allows customers not to pay extra shipping charges—a leading cause of cart abandonment. Plus, it is proven to increase the average order value by 30%. 

67% of customers check the returns policy before making a purchase. 

An easy returns trust signal such as 30-day returns eliminates risk aversion and encourages new product trials. 

12. Use trust signals 

Trust signals can add credibility and trust to your website. 

Regulatory approval from federal and regulatory bodies certifies the product for consumption. 

It assures the customers that it isn’t harmful to their health. 

TerraOrigin displays an FDA trust signal on its above-the-fold portion. 

13. Reduce checkout effort 

There's a stark difference between checkout length and checkout effort. 

Customers are more bothered about filling the never-ending form fields than the number of steps it takes to complete a purchase. 

Make the checkout effort less cumbersome, by having a single name field. 

Customers intuitively type the full name in the first name field with 42% of customers doing the same. 

This is especially helpful while typing on mobile.

Hide Address Line 2 since it causes friction. 

Interestingly, 30% of customers reviewed Address Line 1 to assess if it was correct. 

For best practices, mistakes to avoid, and expert advice, refer to the eCommerce Checkout Process Guide

14. Use floating labels  

Floating labels help customers verify their information during checkout. It acts as a marker showing customers which step they are currently at. 

Once it’s triggered, the keypad on the phone pops up leading to a decrease in mobile cart abandonment. 

15. Write content that helps shoppers add to cart

10% of eCommerce sites have product descriptions that don’t address the shopper’s needs. 

If done right, content can help your page to rank better in the search results and also compel shoppers to add to cart.

FAQs are always the best way to show information gradually. Vertical dropdowns also make it easier to display more information without cluttering the product page. - Luke Perry, CRO Expert, Convertcart

Adding FAQs also helps your page in terms of SEO and product discoverability. 

If your product descriptions look chunky, then add symbols or illustrations to convey the right information. 

Videos are also always a great way to show how a product is used and solves problems. 

16. Show product comparison charts

Shoppers browse.

When people are searching online to buy something, they want information and they want a comparison of the different options. 

After they've settled on a certain product, they'll open 10 tabs to compare 10 eCommerce stores, but initially, they'll compare inside a product category. 

When people get to choose what they want, they'll be more likely to stick with you and add-to-cart products. 

17. Enable interactive personalization 

Personalization can help to create a personal experience for the shopper visiting your website and improve add-to-cart. 

Let shoppers take a quiz where they can select their preferences and then offer them relevant recommendations.  

This way, shoppers will receive better product recommendations and add-to-cart faster. 

18. Offer more than just chatbots   

It’s important to have a strong customer service team. Just a chat option will not do. 

They offer four different ways to contact experts to help shoppers on their buying journey, including online chats, calling through the website, booking a virtual appointment, and booking an in-store appointment. 

For shoppers looking to buy an engagement ring or a wedding ring, they can even consult a diamond expert. 

19. Create urgency with microcopy

FOMO is a proven strategy when it comes to increasing add-to-cart rates. Here are some ways you can apply FOMO. 

Around where add-to-cart buttons are placed on the product page, shoppers are looking for informational nudges. 

Hence, if what you put under the add-to-cart button is relevant and convincing, higher are the chances of a browser converting. 

Luxy Hair shows us how bringing in brand advantages under the add-to-cart can be a good idea. 

Pro Tip: Show low stock count 

A low stock count on your product page under the add-to-cart button will trigger ordering and purchasing since it communicates the demand for the product. 

20. Offer social logins

When you offer convenience, you create a favorable impression in a shopper’s mind. 

While 43% of customers prefer to use guest checkout, social logins can make the checkout process faster as well as help stores gather customer information. 

21. Enable sticky add-to-cart button 

A recent report shows that the mobile add-to-cart rate is the lowest at 7.45%, compared to desktop. 

Don’t make your customers squint or hunt for the CTA button.

While your website might be responsive for mobile screens, it might shrink your CTA button, making it difficult to tap.

In such scenarios, try sticky add-to-cart buttons which are ever-present as shoppers scroll down the product page. 

22. Display mobile-only coupons  

When you offer mobile-only coupons on your mobile product pages, it becomes an added attraction for potential buyers to complete their purchases on that very device. 

Make the discounts appear in relevant categories and product pages. Create a separate sales section for mobile discounts to avoid confusion and drive traffic.

Pro Tip: Easy discount code application 

9 in 10 shoppers use discount codes when buying online. So, consider showing different applicable discount codes that shoppers can choose and apply.

Over to you - Happy selling!

98% of visitors who visit an eCommerce site—drop off without buying anything.

Why: user experience issues that cause friction for visitors.

And this is the problem ConvertCart solves.

We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversions.

How can we help you:

Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to improve conversions.